Today I took my new bike out for its first longish ride. After some seriously sketchball riding on the streets, including a WAY TOO CLOSE call in which a motor bike ran a red light and missed hitting my by six inches, I made it to the bike trail that runs all the way down the Hudson. Although dodging rollerbladers wasn't always easy, it was about a million times better than worrying about an oblivious driver sideswiping me or opening a car door into me.

I rode along the river to 29th St, where I stopped for a short rest. It just so happened that I sat next to a very busy helicopter landing pad, or some such area. In the 15 minutes or so I was there, maybe 8 helicopters came and went. The wind from the propellers sprayed river water on me periodically and created quite the breeze, so it was rather refreshing - as long as I managed to forget I was being showered with the HUDSON. Um, yeah.



The little ride was wonderful. Some day this summer - perhaps after I build up a little endurance - I want to ride the trail that runs from 125th all the way down the Hudson, around the tip of Manhattan and back up the East River. It'd be quite the feat, but I figure the 12 or so miles I rode today is a start. Now all I need is a little bell on my bike to warn rollerbladers to ge the hell outta my way.

A summer thunderstorm is dumping rain outside, but I don't mind too much - even though it spoiled my evening's plan of a bike ride (on my NEW BIKE!!!). After all, that rain is nourishing the zucchinis I planted!



I had low expectations for them when I stuck the seeds in the ground. After all, I've never grown anything edible except for some basil and cherry tomatoes (even though Mom did most of the work for those) - and certainly nothing from seed. So I was ecstatic when I noticed the little sprouts poking up through the ground.

I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much, but I can't help the visions of picking giant, delicious squash from the backyard and making them into skewers for the grill. After all, the seed package says "Muy prolifica!" on the front. And who's to argue with a promise like that - especially when it's surrounded by a red starburst straight out of a direct mail flyer?

Andrea - who interned at Self last fall and who is now back in the city (!) - commissioned me to make a double of Mitzu, her sister's cat. The kitty is apparently pretty skitzo, and her stuffie definitely is, too!





Speaking of kittens, I played with the ones in the animal shelter again this weekend. They were so cute and I wanted to take them all home - especially on skinny soft gray cat and of course the three 6-week-old kittens that huddled together in their litter box. It was almost too much.

AND I made a new feline friend in our backyard. She (I just assume her gender) jumped the fence while Eric and I were BBQing last Friday. Let me tell you it was tough keeping focused on our game of Sorry with that cute cat meowing at me for attention. I named her Biscuit and gave her some turkey burger. Hopefully she'll return the next time we grill!

So until the day we have a pet-loving landlord, I guess I'll have to continue making cat stuffies.